《Rebuilding》 End of Earth(prologue) Prologue In high school, he was well liked by everyone despite his sometimes distasteful humor. Jason always had a response, and he thought out what he did. He worked out and got a job at a fast food place. His plan was to go to college, meet new friends, and figure himself out. His parents worried about him, but ultimately they felt his life was best in his own hands. It would be wrong to say that he actually had no idea what he wanted to do, but it would be correct to say that he needed better guidance. After he graduated high school, he moved out with some friends to another state. They went to college together and made some friends. He made bad choices and ended up alone. He never gave up his truest love. Organizing everything to work well. In his last year of college, everything changed. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. In an instant 85% of humanity was killed by rifts opening and utterly destroying most of the world. The world that remained was spread out, and the new space from the destruction was replaced with wildlands filled with great dangers. Monsters of unimaginable strength and number fight over the lands. Some of the lesser monsters made their move on the remaining lands of Earth. Humanity was not left defenseless. They were each given new powers based on their lives before, and another force took pity on humanity, giving them guidance in the new world. End of Prologue Chapter One ; The Fall of Earth Chapter 1 Stepping out of my car, my stomach rumbled at me. It has been quite a while since I have gotten something to eat from this place. I lock my car and walk up. I am greeted by the aroma of food as I step into Fuzzy¡¯s, and I step up to order. It would seem that so far there aren''t really very many people here for the lunch rush. I quickly go up and smile at the cashier. ¡°I would like a grilled chicken burrito and a soda.¡± ¡°Ok, anything else? ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be $13.43.¡± I pay for the food, then I pick up the device that will shake and tell me when my meal is ready, and I walk to get my soda. The bubbling beverage is sweet, and I go to sit down. I wait for a bit over 5 minutes until the food is ready, nursing my beverage all the while. As I get the food, I recognize the person who gives it to me. ¡°Hector? Hector Flores? How are you? It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen you around! Where have you been?¡± I met Hector in the gym. We used to work out together from time to time, even though he was about 10 years older than me. With a warm smile, he replies, ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been running this place. I¡¯ve been pretty busy since they made me the manager. The pay isn¡¯t half bad, but it¡¯s a lot of work. How about you, Jason? Have you graduated from college?¡± With a sigh, I tell him, ¡°Not quite. I¡¯m close, but there are still a few courses I need to finish before I can get my certifications.¡± ¡°What are you still doing in college? I seem to remember you telling me you were going to figure out what you wanted, then do it.¡± ¡°Well, I figured out what I want to do. I want to be a personal trainer. It fits me; I want to help people with their health, and it seems to be the best fit for me.¡± ¡°Good for you, Jason,¡± he says. His smile makes my mood better, and I want to keep talking to my old friend, but before I can, he says, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t talk to you more; I have a few things to do in the back. Is your phone number still the same?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Maybe we should have a drink sometime; bring some of the guys together again. For old times sake, you know?¡± I smile and then say, ¡°I would like that very much. Soon it might not be possible. I am thinking about moving sometime after I graduate.¡± He rubs his beard and then says, ¡°We will have to sooner rather than later then. See you around Jason.¡± We both walk away. I sit down, and he walks into the back. I enjoy my burrito and soda as I begin to eat. Soon the burrito is gone, I get up and then I leave. As I open the door, a cold wind hits my face. I don¡¯t really like winter. There isn¡¯t any snow, but soon there might be. As if by fate, it begins to snow. Great. Just perfect. I don¡¯t want it to snow just yet, but there is something strange about this snow. There are no clouds in sight, and the snow is not cold. It disintegrates on impact with anything it touches. The moon is full, and it is tinted red. It shouldn¡¯t even be visible; it¡¯s just after 12. Something is undeniably wrong. I run into Fuzzy''s. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t go back there!¡± The cashier says. ¡°Hector! Hector! There¡¯s something going on outside! It¡¯s raining ash, and the moon is visible and red!¡± ¡°What? What do you mean? That¡¯s strange, but nothing to get so up in arms about.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get it; it is white like snow, but it has no texture and is dissipating on contact with everything it touches. The moon is visible like in the night, but it is clear blue outside of the moon. Something is wrong.¡± ¡°Well, that isn¡¯t exactly normal, but it isn¡¯t something to panic over.¡± ¡°Hector, remain vigilant. I¡¯m going home, and I¡¯m going to see if it¡¯s on the news. We don¡¯t know anything about these particles. I¡¯ll see you later. Oh wait, one more thing, you haven¡¯t changed your phone number, have you?¡± ¡°I did; you probably need my number if you want to contact me." He pulled out his phone and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you a message... did you get that?¡± ¡°Wait a moment¡­ yep, I got it.¡± ¡°What about your other friends?¡± ¡°Oh them? I had a little¡­ falling out. Before you say anything, no, it wasn¡¯t a big thing. We just stopped talking so much. I made a few mistakes, and they stopped contacting me, and I didn¡¯t contact them. Bye for now, Hector.¡± ¡°Ok. I see. I¡¯ll see you later. Drive safely and say hi to fluffy for me, would you?¡± ¡°Will do,¡± I say as I turn around and walk away. The drive home isn¡¯t long, and soon I make my way into my apartment. My roommate moved on, and I¡¯ve been looking for another one. The only reason I could afford this apartment is because I had a roommate, and now that I don''t, I¡¯ll be in trouble soon if I can¡¯t find another one. I get my keys from my pocket as I open the door. My cat is on the back of the couch. She jumps down and walks up to me, rubbing against my leg. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Oh, hi fluffy. How are you? How are you kitty kitty?¡± She meows in response, and when I pick her up, she cuddles into me. Some cats aren¡¯t as friendly as my fluffy is, but she is the most friendly cat I have ever met. I pick up the remote and turn on the TV. One of the amenities my apartment gives me is a number of channels. I don¡¯t have a large TV, but it suits my needs. The first news channel seems to be reporting on the strange particles. ¡°It would seem that these particles are a global phenomenon, as well as the moon. In the places where the moon can be seen, it is red for unknown reasons. Some have begun to say the end is near, and the ¡®blood moon¡¯ rising is just the start. Scientists are puzzled by both of the phenomena, but so far they seem to be harmless.¡± I walk over to my bedroom and sit down at my desk to open a book. I have some homework to do. Several hours later. I get up from doing my homework, and stretch. I make my way over to the door, and stop to pet Fluffy as I walk through. Her soft white coat feels nice on my hand as I pet her, and she lets out a small meow, which I have learned, means she likes it. I then leave the room. The TV is still on, but there isn¡¯t anyone on the screen. In fact, the screen is black. I pick up the remote and try to turn on the TV again, but to no avail. I pull my phone out of my pocket and turn it on, and go to CNN. All it reads is: Good luck. I open my blinds and look around my neighborhood. Much of it is gone¡ªnot rubble, void. There is a quickly spreading void around the area, consuming the land and taking much of what is around me. The surrounding area is just this flat, inky-black expanse. For some reason, it is avoiding my house. I quickly pull out my phone and call Hector. RING RING. RING RING. "Jason? What is it? Are you okay?¡± "Do you see what is going on?¡± I hear a sigh from the other end before he says, ¡°Yes, I know. For some reason, the shadows have been unable to take my place too. There are 15 of us here. None of our cars made it. What about your car?¡± He pauses for a moment before saying, ¡°Did you get any information from the news?¡± "My car was in the parking garage, but it¡¯s gone now. I checked CNN¡¯s website. It is completely blank. All it says is ¡®Good luck¡¯.¡± "I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but we will need good luck if we are to make it through... whatever this is. The others are calling their families and most of the calls are going nowhere. I called about 60% of my contacts and was making my way through the list with voicemails. I was about to get to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been working on homework for the last two hours, I was hoping it would just quickly blow over. When did this happen, and what did I miss?¡± ¡°The main thing you missed was the shadow tremors. Some people call them void tremors; others just call them holes. Anyways, they began to leak this pure darkness that began covering and dissolving the world around us. It is falling apart; many people have fallen to the shadows. I have believe that some larger buildings survived. There should be public school today, and because it¡¯s the work week, a lot of people in other buildings should have survived hopefully. We have spotted several buildings in the distance, very far away and hard to see.¡± I pause for a second, the shock of what he told me sinking in. Shadows? Fallen? Void tremors? I find it all ridiculous, but it is staring me in the face. I look around outside and spot something I didn¡¯t see at first because it blended in. A large crack in the space. One of the void tremors, and it¡¯s still leaking that awful darkness into the world around me. My parents¡­ my friends¡­ how many of them survived? ¡°Jason? Are you still there?¡± His words snap me out of my thoughts, ¡°Yes¡­ this is¡­ a lot to take in. Are they dead? Or somewhere else? We may yet find out. Call the rest of the numbers on your phone. I¡¯m going to go search the rest of my apartment section to see if anyone else is here.¡± ¡°Ok, will do. I¡¯ll call you again at a later time.¡± He then hung up, leaving me with my thoughts. How could this happen? What even is this? I open up my phone app again and start calling the numbers and leaving voicemails, telling them to call me back. I go from top to bottom, passing over each number. Only two picked up out of the 30 numbers I have put on my current phone. My sister and my boss from when I worked at a Walmart. He was a good guy, stern, and kind to the people who worked for him. My boss was in Walmart when it happened. There are roughly a hundred people where he is, and each of them has managed to call at least three people on their phones. My sister was at my parents house when it happened. She is older than me and was visiting them. They were out on errands while she was on a walk. She made her way home after she saw a void tremor. It scared her, and I understood why. After I called everyone on my contacts, I searched the other 3 apartments in my section of the building. The rest are out of reach for now, separated by quite a few feet of void. I didn¡¯t expect to find anyone, but on the second door, after ringing it repeatedly, someone answered, yelling at me. ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a second, jeez. What¡¯s going on¡­ what the heck is all that?¡± He looked straight past me to the outside world, his eyes wide. He looked like he had been sleeping. ¡°Were you going to sleep through the end of the world?¡± I asked him mockingly. He rolled his eyes before looking me in the eyes. ¡°Jason, I work the night guard shift. You should know that.¡± I looked closer at him, and then I said, ¡°Do I know you?¡± "Sorry; I just woke up. We met once at that barbecue. You know, the one the landlord held that one time.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, what is your name again?¡± ¡°I am Alexei Vassilievich Petrov.¡± I can¡¯t hold back my laughter; this man is a large guy, a mustache and all, and I laugh as I say, ¡°Alexei Vassilievich Petrov. Are you Russian or something? That is the most Russian name I¡¯ve ever heard. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I say as I laugh. ¡°Anyways, you should go call everyone you can on your phone. See who you can find. Also, you want to know what¡¯s going on?¡± He looks more amused than mad, and nods. ¡°It¡¯s fine; laugh all you want. I find the name funny myself. Yes, I am Russian. I immigrated here shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. I¡¯m 54 years old and barely avoided joining their army.¡± I apologize again to him but he just waved it off. I then explained everything to him. He nodded along all the while. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll do my own research, assuming the internet still works. I''ll see you later.¡± He closes the door. I then walk away. I try the last door. No response. I walk back to my apartment solemnly. So much loss in one day, so many people¡­ dead? Probably. But I will remain hopeful until I have to change. As I open the door to my apartment, I hear a small ding. From all directions. I have a very ominous feeling with the voice that follows. Ding. This world has been tainted by shadows¡­ preparing countermeasures. Infusing world with fragments¡­ completed. Calculating current inhabitants survival chances¡­ low. Preparing countermeasures¡­ completed. System built. Humanity, good luck and tread lightly. End of chapter Chapter Two ; Apartments Chapter 2 Ding Status Jason, LV 1 Fortitude: 38/48 Mana: 0/0 Statistics: Physique 15, Mental 16, Presence 8 Passive features(2): Common: Superior Physique (+3 strength), Strategist (+4 intelligence) Skills(2): Common: Power Strike Epic: The Touch What the¡­? As I look around, I see that the shadows have begun to change. They are fading, and where they were, large trees have sprouted, and the buildings have been covered in foliage. It¡¯s like a long time has passed. The surrounding area is like a jungle. I pull out my phone to attempt to call Hector. I have no signal, damn it. I need to find Hector. Until I know more, I have to assume that most people are gone. What are these statistics? I¡¯ve played a lot of games, but Physique? Mental? Presence? What are they? Ding Prompt detected. Statistics are the combined total of one¡¯s attributes. Each can be broken down, but the three are combined totals of smaller parts. Physique is broken down into Strength (one¡¯s strength), Dexterity (one¡¯s reflexes), and Endurance (the physical endurance of the body). The mental statistics are broken down into Intelligence (how smart one is), Wisdom (the general knowledge one holds), Magic (one¡¯s capacity for magic), and Will (one¡¯s mental fortitude). Presence is the pressure one can exude on others, or hide from others. The pressure is based on how powerful one is. This statistic is broken down into Control (the level of control one has over their presence) and Power (how much power one can exude over others). The power can only be changed by the overall might of one¡¯s statistics. Well, that¡¯s neat. What are skills, and what are the ones I have? Ding Prompt detected. Skills are gained by one¡¯s personal achievements. At the start of the system, each individual was granted skills based on their prior achievements. You have two skills. Power strike: A starter attacking skill. You may spend ? an endurance point to empower your strike, effectively increasing the power of the strike by 25%. This is the common variant of the trait; this trait can be upgraded through repeated uses and increased understanding of the way it functions. The Touch: This skill is difficult to obtain. In order to obtain it, you must have turned the tides of eight wars through strategic involvement as well as direct involvement. While you are in combat, your statistics double. While you are in one-on-one combat, your statistics triple (this is a replacement, not in addition to). The activation of this skill enhances one¡¯s perception of the surrounding area by 4 times. This skill costs 4 endurance per minute activated. The increase in statistics is passive and thus has no cost. This skill is epic and can¡¯t be upgraded or found at a lower tier. Intervene in a war? I¡¯ve logged on to a lot of different games, taken over strategically, and turned the tides, sure, but do those count? I¡¯ve turned the tides of at least 12 game wars, and I get a skill over it? It feels powerful, but I suppose it makes sense, and it is intended for someone with a touch in combat. I feel like I shouldn¡¯t have this. Well, cool. With my new understanding of my skills, I leave my apartment and go to Alexi¡¯s apartment. The forest looks ominous, and I just ignore it for now. I knock on Alexi¡¯s door, and he soon answers it. ¡°Hey Jason. I feel stronger; did you get that strange ding?¡± ¡°Yes, yes I did. I haven¡¯t really done too much yet, so I didn¡¯t get very much more powerful.¡± ¡°Ok, that¡¯s fine. I gained about 10 points in each category, as well as four Skills. I got Detect Presence, Piercing Shot, Uncanny Accuracy, and Lesser Stealth. The first three being Rare, and the latter being Uncommon. How about you?¡± ¡°I got two Skills. Power Strike, and The Touch. Power Strike is Common, and the touch is Epic.¡± ¡°Nice. We should check the rest of the apartments for others, then meet back here. I¡¯ll take the east wing. You take the west wing. Ok?¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan, Alexi. I¡¯ll see you in a bit. I should make it back before you; the west wing is significantly smaller than the east wing.¡± ¡°Understood. This should take you 15 minutes, and me 25 to 30.¡± We split, and I searched the apartments. I rang the doorbells. None of them answered, and all the doors were locked. All the while, it was eerily silent. No birds chirped. No sounds came from the forest. No cars driving by. I felt very alone, and I didn¡¯t like it. I quickly made my way back to our small section of the apartment complex. I waited for a solid 10 minutes before Alexi showed up. ¡°I take it you didn¡¯t find anyone?¡± He asked me. ¡°No. None of the doors were unlocked either.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t quite have the same experience. I found one of the doors knocked down. There was a man on the floor; something got to him before me. It was dead next to him. He must have received fire powers, it was burned severely. They both passed away before I even arrived.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Well, that¡¯s unfortunate. Actually, maybe not. His having fire powers might have meant he was a threat.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± He gestured for me to continue. ¡°Well, it seems these powers are based on our past actions. If he had fire-based powers, he might have been someone who liked to light things on fire, if you''re catching my drift.¡± ¡°No. Not really. He might have liked camping, and he got a skill for fire because he liked to cook things over open flames or making marshmallows. Regardless, we¡¯ll never know now because he died.¡± ¡°Yeah, better not to judge him with no information. We should bury him.¡± We buried him, lamenting his death. The thing that got him broke the door down; it was massive. It looked like a wolf but was brown and had a hairless face. Not a humanoid face, but a face. It was grimacing. We need to be careful, or else we may end up dead because of creatures like him. Ding Your kindness to another has been noticed by a higher power. In the future, if you hold another service, your statistics will temporarily be raised for the duration of the service by 5. ¡°Did you get that boon as well, Jason?¡± ¡°Yes. It''s best not to think too hard about it. We need to prepare, less we will end up like him. Let''s go to the landlord¡¯s office to see if we can find any keys. I doubt he¡¯ll be there; he wasn¡¯t often there before all this.¡± Alexi nodded, and together we made our way to the office. Inside, we didn¡¯t find any people. We did find the keys. We agreed that together we would search all the apartments for supplies. In total, we found enough food to last us a few months here if we needed it too. We also found five handguns, as well as a hunting rifle. I took a handgun, and Alexi took the rest of them. He showed me briefly how to aim and fire. The reason I didn¡¯t protest his having so many more guns was simple. I don¡¯t know how to use guns very well. We also found a large sword in one of the apartments. It was a show sword, heavy and dull. I plan to use it as a melee weapon. It is unlikely that other people are the only threats to us, and we can''t use our ammunition on monsters if we don''t have to. Alexi spotted eyes watching us in the forest several times, but as soon as we both looked at them they ducked away. ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here. I doubt our cars work, but I think I can fix my car using the other car parts and the gas we found while we searched the apartments,¡± Alexi said. ¡°I agree. It might be safe enough here for now, but soon enough, something like that wolf¡ªno, that abomination¡ªwill come around. We aren¡¯t currently strong enough to fight more than a few of them. We need to find other people and greater power.¡± With our agreement evident, we came up with a plan. I would watch from a higher vantage point nearby while he fixed his van. His van was originally a company vehicle, but it was marked to be scrapped because it wasn¡¯t maintained well enough. Alexi decided to rescue it and fix it. He bought it for a very small amount and made it his own. He slowly repaired it, and now it needs to be repaired once again. It became roadworthy relatively quickly. It took him only a few hours to fix it up. Then he drove it up. The paint is starting to peel, and it looks older than I remember. He parked it next to my car in the garage before everything changed; it used to be a solid gray, but no longer. ¡°Jason, I want to reinforce it with more materials before we load it with our supplies. Attempt to strengthen the walls. Also, here are a pair of keys. I have two; now we each have a pair of keys. Never leave your set in the car. I¡¯ll do the same. Operational vehicles are worth their weight in gold now.¡± "Hm, that makes sense. We wouldn¡¯t want someone to steal it. Can we make it so no one can hotwire it?¡± ¡°Sort of; it¡¯ll take a little while. I¡¯ll need to use some metal to cover it, which will make it a lot harder to do. I can¡¯t make it impossible, but I can make it a hell of a lot harder.¡± After the next few hours of work, we increased the weight of it by quite a bit. It took all the gas we have to fuel it, and we need more. Our plan is to make our way to a gas station. I saw one off in the distance when the surrounding area was shaddows. Should have gas there, and maybe a person. We put all the equipment in the van, and the next day our plan is to leave. The next day I got up off my couch when I heard knocking at my door. I got up and went to the door and looked through the eyehole. Alexi. ¡°Hey Jason, are you ready to go yet? I¡¯m ready to go, but don¡¯t feel rushed.¡± ¡°Oh; yes, I¡¯m about ready to go. I¡¯d like to bring my cat, Fluffy, if that¡¯s ok. I have a harness, and she typically likes to remain close to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t love the idea, but I won''t stop you. I wouldn¡¯t want to leave a friend behind either. I simply worry she will give us away to other entities in the surrounding area.¡± I take note of his phrasing. Entities, not animals. ¡°I see; not a problem. Fluffy is quiet and one of the nicest cats you¡¯ll ever meet.¡± ¡°Ok then. We leave in 15 minutes. I have a watch, and I found another one in one of the other apartments. Do you want it?¡± My current watch is a fitness tracker, and as much as I would prefer it over an analogue watch, I can¡¯t afford to say no, so I say, ¡°Yes, I would like a watch. It would help us a lot. My current watch is a fitness tracker and won''t last long because we don''t have a consistent source of electricity.¡± ¡°What about the van? That could charge it.¡± ¡°What if we need to leave it at some point, and no longer have the power?¡± ¡°Ok, here.¡± ¡°15 minutes?¡± ¡°15 minutes.¡± I nod, and we both go to our apartments. Even with the short time we have known each other, the silent message is clear. He will come and get me when 15 minutes have passed. I sit down, and Fluffy walks quickly up to me and sits next to me on the couch. I smile at my feline friend, and I pet her. She loudly purrs. After about five minutes, I hear someone knocking on my door. I get up, and Fluffy stays on the couch. I look through the eyehole. Alexi and another man are standing there. I walk over to Fluffy and put her in the other room, closing the door behind her. I pick up my handgun and walk over to the door. More knocking. I make sure the gun is loaded and the safety is off. I stand to the side of the door and open it, pointing the gun at the man while I stand to the side of the door. ¡°FREEZE, DON¡¯T MOVE.¡± I say it loudly, and it catches both of them off guard. The man with Alexi reaches for something in his pocket, and right before I shoot him, Alexi yells. ¡°STOP! Jason! This is Officer Jameson. He was discharged from the police force because of politics; he arrested the wrong person. He drank himself till he blacked out. He was blacked out when we raided his apartment, and he was locked in his room. Remember? The one room we couldn¡¯t get open?¡± I remember the room he¡¯s talking about, and I lower the gun to the ground, but I¡¯m still ready to shoot. Jameson finally reaches his pocket and pulls out his wallet slowly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m¡­ all out of sorts. I''m Officer Jameson. You are not under arrest due to extenuating circumstances. I¡¯m going with you. I have a combat shotgun and several Skills. I have the Skill Drinker, the Skill Enforcer, and the Skill Gun Expertise.¡± ¡°Do you have a uniform?¡± I ask him. ¡°Yes. I wasn¡¯t wearing it because I wandered over here.¡± ¡°I need you to understand something. The world is much more dangerous than it was. Some abomination killed someone. We buried the individual respectfully, about six hours ago. We are going to try to find some friends of mine after we get some gas. Officer, would you join us in our quest for survival? Our quest to help who we can?¡± ¡°Please call me Jameson. I¡¯ll join you. We should stop by the police station first. It¡¯s likely that, in preparation for riots, they are better stocked than normal. I still have my badge; it wasn''t taken. They didn''t have the time to. I¡¯ll get my uniform, and we can leave this place. Maybe an officer of the law will have some effect on people.¡± He curtly turns around and walks off to his apartment. This hasn¡¯t quite sunk in with him, I can tell. He is just as scared as us, I think. Well, I guess we¡¯re a group. The three musketeers? No. We¡¯re something else. I just have to figure out what. End of chapter Chapter Three ; Tribulations Chapter 3 With our departure imminent, I have begun to consider what next. If we find them, where will we go? What will we do? An option would be my boss¡¯s walmart. That place has enough supplies to last a while. It also has what would be needed for farming, and it would make a good defendable home. But what about my sister? I should leave a note for her, just in case she comes here. She has always cared about me. Ideas for the road. The gas station is about a 20 minute drive, and another 20 minutes to reach Hector¡¯s place. I find it fairly likely that they stayed, and if they didn¡¯t they probably would leave a note. Hm. Things to talk about on the road. I write down on a sticky note where we are going, and place it on my door. I make it vague enough that my sister should be the only one that would know what it means. Officer Jameson took only 15 minutes to decide on what he wanted to bring. It wasn¡¯t much, a backpack filled with personal belongings, and a small suitcase. ¡°I don¡¯t need much, this is my bare minimum,¡± he told us, ¡°My suitcase has a few changes of clothes. My backpack has my essentials for hygiene.¡± ¡°Ok. So you¡¯re both ready to go?¡± Asked Alexi. We both nodded, and we set off. We decided to try to drive fairly slowly, we can¡¯t really afford anything going wrong. Me and Alexi watched out the windows while Jameson drove. We talked about our future course of action. ¡°What do we want to do after we find them?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t have any ideas, what about you Alexi?¡± Jameson replied, his eyes fixed on the road. ¡°I have a place, but it¡¯s a very temporary one. Do you have a place Jason? You are the one that asked.¡± ¡°Well in fact, I do have an idea. Unless they decide to leave it should be a great place to set up. I worked at a Walmart in the past and my boss picked up when I called. I personally think that it would be an excellent place to go. Defendable, shelter, lots of supplies. We could even grow food there. Unless they stopped selling since I¡¯ve been there, they should have enough fence to fence off a sizable area.¡± They both nod, thinking. ¡°That is a good final destination. Where is it?¡± Jameson asked me. ¡°That¡¯s the only problem,¡± I cringe inside, ¡°I moved here, it¡¯s out of state. Should be about 120 miles from here, give or take between one and ten.¡± ¡°South?¡± He asked me. His eyes left the road for a moment, and I saw a fairly serious look in his eyes. ¡°Yes, south. Why? Is there something wrong with that?¡± ¡°Yes and no. I have a few family members to the south. I didn¡¯t call anyone while this was happening. I want to find them. They live near that Walmart, I remember it. The problem is different. There is a river between us and the south.¡± ¡°And?¡± I asked. He rolled his eyes like it was obvious, then replied, ¡°If everything is like here, how many bridges will still be standing?¡± My eyes widened a little in realization. ¡°There are a lot of rivers between us and them. We may have to ditch the van, and the food.¡± ¡°Well, yes that, and also, do you think we will be able to cross?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made the trip more times than I can count. I remember a lot of bridges. Even if some collapsed, we should be able to make it across, bridge or not. What do you think Alexi?¡± I wait a few seconds before saying again, ¡°Alexi?¡± He slowly looks away from the surrounding area, then says, ¡°I don¡¯t know what they are, but a group of beings is following us. They are keeping pace. They may intend to ambush us.¡± ¡°Ok. I have an idea. We trigger the ambush, but not in the way you might think.¡± He motions for me to go on, and I explain my plan. They are both smiling deviously. ¡°That just might work,¡± Alexi says. ¡°It¡¯s crazy, but hey, all this,¡± he motions the surrounding area, ¡°is also crazy.¡± After five minutes we turn off our course and make our way into an underground parking garage. Before they can follow us in, we leave the van and make our way to hide behind other cars, and prepare to shoot the creatures. Fluffy lets out a small fearful meow. She can tell something is off. Her meow is like a beacon and a group of seven panther-like creatures enter the garage. They have 6 legs, and are moving strangely. For an instant they are stunned by the car lights before we open fire. Immediately one of them falls to Jameson, and two others fall to a piercing shot from Alexi. I use two sidearms to rip into another one, wounding it to the point where it can no longer stand. With more than half of them down, one retreats. That leaves two for us to end. I pull out my sword and let out a battle cry. Ding You have entered combat. All statistics have doubled. Even with my increase in power, I barely have time to react. One of them rushes me, and the other rushes Alexi. I hear another gunshot, presumably from Alexi, and my sword bashes into the creature. I stopped it, barely. Our strength seems to not be equal, as it forces me to my knees. It stands over me, roaring. Its provado is short-lived as its head explodes. Jameson blasted its head into tomorrow, and it fell limp on me. I rolled it off of me, and I could instantly tell my sword is very damaged. It is very dented from the creature¡¯s strikes. Not quite unusable, but surely I could still bash something with it. Ding You are no longer in combat. All statistics have returned to normal. You have leveled up twice! 4 points to spend. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I leveled twice from that. What about you guys?¡± ¡°I leveled once.¡± ¡°Yeah, I only leveled once as well.¡± ¡°Maybe leveling has to do with risk taken, rather than contribution?¡± I suggested. ¡°Makes sense to me,¡± Jameson said, ¡°Let''s get moving.¡± I didn¡¯t ask them what they would do with their points. For now, I¡¯ll just keep mine for later. We got back in the van, and I went to the back to comfort Fluffy. After a few minutes of driving we made it to the gas station. There are signs of conflict, but there aren''t any dead people or creatures. There are arrows in the surrounding area. We stay in the van, and Alexi uses his Detect Presence Skill. ¡°There are creatures in the surrounding woods, but they aren¡¯t currently nefarious. Whatever we want to do, we should do it now. I¡¯ll keep my Skill active and I¡¯ll tell you if they do anything. It takes my concentration, so you guys will have to do the work. Jason, there are three people in the building. I want you to talk to them. Jameson, I want you to get gas in the van.¡± ¡°I like your plan, but I¡¯ll go with Jason for now, then get the gas. It¡¯s an electric pump, and we would need the help of the people inside to help with it.¡± ¡°Point taken. Do it.¡± We make our way to the main building, but the door is locked. ¡°Stay out!¡± ¡°We just want to talk,¡± I start out, but Jameson interrupts me. ¡°No, let me. They are scared, and likely need someone in authority to get them to listen to reason,¡± He explains to me, then says, ¡°Officer Jameson, we just need some gas. You can come with us if you would like, we know a place we think will be safe. We have to work together, otherwise our chances of survival are much lower.¡± We see movement from inside of the building, before one of them says, ¡°We¡¯re coming out, slowly. There are these strange small green creatures that attacked us. We need to get out of here. We have several filled gas cans, and can help you fill up that van. Just bring us with you.¡± ¡°Ok, we should hurry. We have a friend with a detection Skill watching for them.¡± Three people came out. A short balding man with a rifle, a teenage girl, and this tall skinny guy with a baggy jacket. The girl is the first to talk, and she says, ¡°Hi. My name is Luna, I worked here before. I¡¯ll fuel it up.¡± ¡°Sergeant Major Harris. I¡¯ll watch the surrounding area and provide support for now.¡± The skinny guy just walks to the car, and pulls out a cigarette. Despite him not doing anything, I don¡¯t particularly like his demeanor, but I let it go for now. I wait, and after a tense couple of minutes the van is gassed up and we drive away in it. It¡¯s crowded inside now, with all the food and fuel. ¡°So, Sergeant Harris and Luna. I didn¡¯t get your name, skinny man.¡± I start off the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m Kia. I like to paint and stuff.¡± he replies, then continues, ¡°I have one Skill, and it¡¯s pretty cool if you ask me. I have the Skill Painter of Illusions. It lets me create illusions by holding things I make with like art, and stuff man.¡± Luna then says, ¡°What are skills? I have a feature called skill less, but it basically says that I have a higher chance of gaining Skills.¡± ¡°Skills are powers that let you do things. I have two Skills kiddo,¡± the Sergeant says, ¡°My skills are Overseer, and berserker. And to the rest of you, I¡¯m retired, but please call me Sarge.¡± We talked about our plan, and they nodded along. They seemed to like it, and they said they would come with us. The rest of the time we didn¡¯t encounter any other people or creatures. It seems those¨Cgoblins I guess?¨C didn¡¯t follow us. As we reached Hector¡¯s joint, a gruesome sight awaited us. Everyone was dead, but there weren¡¯t the right number of bodies. Hector said 15 people were here, there were only ten bodies of people. They are all strewn out across the ground, whatever they fought apparently didn¡¯t die. They fought, but fell. I frowned. ¡°Alexi. Is there anything near us? Anything at all?¡± ¡°No¡­ wait yes, there is one faint sign of life within the building. It¡¯s fading fast.¡± ¡°We need to get to whoever it is.¡± As the vehicle stopped, the doors locked. ¡°Jameson, open the door.¡± I said forcefully. ¡°No. You aren''t thinking straight. It¡¯s not safe, we have to come up with a plan.¡± ¡°There is someone dying in there, I need to help them. What if it¡¯s Hector?¡± ¡°Fine. Go in, but don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± As I got out, something changed. Ding You have entered the sight of a vicious battle. Leveling requirements slightly decreased. I walked up to look closer at them. From closer I deduce the opponent¡¯s strategy. The opponent used numbers to attack from all angles to take them by surprise. This is not good. Ding From your analysis you have deduced the truth. You have leveled up once. You have an additional 2 points to spend. 6 statistic points total. I should likely use some of those soon. I walk into the main building, but instantly feel a feeling of absolute fear and dread. It is almost enough to make me fall over. Is this presence? In the middle of the room a giant figure made of metal stands over someone. It is doing something to them. They scream out for help, but I can¡¯t move. It senses me, and slowly turns around. It is leaking purple gas of sorts from holes across it. The person has almost stopped moving. I am paralyzed, but then I feel something else. Absolute rage. I take a step. Then another. I pull my sword from my back. I feel burning, but I don¡¯t care. Ding You have overcome great presence. You have gained the skill indomitable(uncommon). All statistics are also raised by one. You have leveled up. 2 additional points are at your disposal. Ding Warning. You have entered one-on-one combat. All statistics have doubled. I feel my rage increase. My will overpowers the fear. I put half the points into endurance, and half into strength. Triple the effect. My strength and endurance are in the mid twenties for this fight. It still may not be enough. I ram myself forward ¡°POWER STRIKE! INDOMITABLE!¡± I feel my weapon covered with my fighting spirit, and it Strikes into the creature. It falters under my strike, not falling, but catching it. It tries to break the blade, but it bends only a tiny amount. I smile, and pull out a side arm, shooting the thing. The bullet lands, but doesn¡¯t deal very much damage. I pull back, the sword coming with me. It holds on to the blade, but is dragged with me. The others have begun to approach and notice what I¡¯m fighting. I need to finish this, or my stats will decrease. I let go of the sword, catching the monster off guard. I start to pummel it into the ground with my strikes. My fists are bleeding, even with every strike using a power strike. It finally reacts to me by hitting me with my own sword. A massive gash I barely notice. I will continue to strike it over and over. The others have begun shooting it, but the shots are barely even denting it. I let out a fearsome roar. They aren¡¯t considered in combat from using guns. I finally land a finishing blow, and I tear its head off. I then fall to the ground, gasping for air. Ding You are no longer in combat. All statistics have returned to normal. Ding You have single handedly defeated a Steel Watcher. You have 3 rewards waiting. You have leveled up 6 times. Ding Achievement unlocked. Heavy hitter(strength +5) I then black out from exhaustion and my injuries. End of chapter Chapter Four ; The Void Chapter 4 Ding You have been redirected. As I get up I looked around. Am I dreaming? What is this place? Why am I so aware? I am so very¡­ alive. I am¡­ aware. Where am I? This place¡­ the ground is black, solid black. In all directions¡­ a plane of darkness. The sky is dark blue. What happened to me? My memories are fuzzy¡­ was I supposed to do something? Was I fighting someone? Yes¡­ no¡­ I was fighting, but something, not someone. Where am I? ¡°Hello?¡± My voice reverberates around me, filling everything. It loudens, and I fall to my hands and knees, and cough up some blood. What is my Status? Ding Status Jason, LV 7 Fortitude: 0/54 Mana: 0/0 Statistics(6 unspent points): Physique 31, Mental 19, Presence 15 Passive features(3): Common: Superior Physique (+3 strength), Strategist (+4 intelligence), Heavy hitter(+5 strength) Skills(3): Common: Power Strike Uncommon: Indomitable Epic: The Touch What? Such a jump¡­ I need more power. ¡°Hello child. How have you visited me? Why have you visited me?¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. For an instant, I feel overwhelmed. This might is limitless, an ocean of pure power. A strange being made of darkness stands before me, it has glowing eyes. It hurts to look at. Ding You have met the embodiment of the void. A notification? Now? Why? ¡°Child?¡± Its voice is everywhere, but is not deafening. Simply, it comes from all directions. ¡°What are you?¡± I ask. ¡°I am the past, present, and future. I am what was, is, and what could be. Tell me, why are you here? How are you here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how or why. The system simply told me I have been redirected.¡± ¡°The system? Interesting. It has been so long since I¡¯ve heard of it reaching a world.¡± ¡°Did I¡­ die?¡± ¡°Maybe. But not to shadows. You were sent here. Not physically, you live, but you die at the same time. That is the confusing part. Something or someone redirected your consciousness you say? Not impossible, but very odd.¡± ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°My name. I once had a name. I no longer remember it. All that remains is the darkness around you. You have three questions before you return to the physical world. Ask them and I shall answer.¡± ¡°How much do you know?¡± ¡°Much of many things. Your question is to gauge what I can answer, I can almost answer any of the questions you have to ask.¡± ¡°What happened to my world?¡± ¡°A shadow shrouded it. Not deliberate. No one¡¯s fault really, no one could have predicted it would reach your world.¡± ¡°What is the system?¡± ¡°An ancient power controlled by an unimaginable force. It seeks to protect worlds, and the people within them. It is the only reason you still live.¡± ¡°Interesting¡­¡± My body begins to glow, and fade. I reached out. ¡°No¡­ I have more questions¡­¡± ¡°I am sorry, but our time has come to an end. It is not likely we shall meet again. Goodbye. I will miss the company. I gift you some of my power, and in exchange I will watch you. Read it when you return.¡± Ding You have been offered a pact. Ding You are out of time. The system has redirected you. End of Chapter Chapter Five ; A Choice Chapter 5 I shift between the blackness of unconsciousness, and bright lights. I can barely think, and don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. Eventually I settle on darkness, and I begin to stabilize mentally, but still in darkness. What happened last? I was fighting that thing¡­ and I won, but not without major damage. Did I save that person? Yes¡­? I know one thing, and it is that I blacked out. I died, but not really. I met that¡­ person? No, he was far off, something else. He offered me something, answered some questions¡­ yes, I remember now. A pact of sorts? What was it? Ding You have been offered a pact by the Voidborn. The pact states that the void will watch you, and you alone. With no other way to see, you would be constantly monitored. In exchange, you would be given the Voidtouched class. Would you like to accept? Voidtouched? What does that mean? Ding Context requested. Classes are very rare for any individual. They are either earned through near death experiences, or granted by higher powers. In your case it was a mixture. You died, but your consciousness was redirected to the void. The void brought your life to stability to give you a chance. It has offered you a Unique Class. Classes are broken into rarity rather than power. Unique is the highest rarity, but rarity does not determine class powers. Ding Voidtouched is a unique class granted to a single individual. The Voidtouched class is a pact between the void and a being. Accepting it will grant you the class, but also the Chosen of The Void feature. The class will grant you an additional statistic point per level and a higher chance of skills being gained. The Chosen of The Void feature is a hidden feature and hence can only be revealed by having it. Well that was long. TLDR, I gain one more statistic point per level, skills at some levels based on the class, and this ominous Feature? Sounds too good to be true. What are the drawbacks? I¡¯ll wait to make the choice until I am no longer¡­ blacked out. After a few minutes I fall asleep. It is a restless sleep, and I see the eyes of the void. I feel the darkness, it is anticipating my choice, and regarding me. It is not him, but it is the void. I wake up again. It is dark, but not because of my sight. At least I hope it¡¯s not because of my sight. I look around and see shapes in darkness. I stand up. ¡°Hello?¡± I say groggily. I feel my chest where it was slashed with the blade of the thing. No, with my blade. My body aches from the pain, all over me hurts. Where I feel my hand I feel something large and soft¡­ no, soft is the wrong word. It feels like medical tape or something. ¡°Hey Jason. I was wonderin when you¡¯d wake up.¡± ¡°Jameson? Is that you?¡± I ask, ¡°Where are we? What happened?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. Let''s get out of this room. There are others sleeping.¡± He says everything very quietly. We go out of the room. ¡°You must have many questions. I¡¯ll answer several before you ask anything more. We are in the police station. The station survived, and there are several police officers still here. We took refuge here. There are two groups out right now, gathering information. They intend to check out a route for Walmart. You¡¯ve been out for about a day now. The station had several solar panels installed before all this so we have power. The man you saved is Hector, and he saved you. He has a healing skill, but you still should have died. Don¡¯t know how you made it through.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. A few days later A few more days pass, and I feel that my healing is likely increased by my statistics. I help out in what small ways I can. During those few days we were attacked two times. I am unable to get involved. They say it¡¯s too dangerous for me in my current shape. In the time I have I consider the class. It could prove useful, and is being watched by the void a problem? After I¡¯m healed enough to go out I¡¯ll make my choice. Didn¡¯t the system say I have three rewards from defeating that thing? Ding You have been granted 3 rewards from defeating the Steel Watcher. Reward 1: Your choice of a minor melee magic item Reward 2: Based on your feature Strategist, you now may see a small map of the surrounding area. This map does not show creatures. Reward 3: You gain a free Perfect Heal. This may be redeemed at any time. At any time? That sounds especially useful, I think I¡¯ll keep it for a later time. I wait for a while, and when Alexi is here I start a conversation with him. ¡°Hey Alexi. What is it like out there? We had three encounters in the time I was able to be out.¡± ¡°Well, while it is dangerous, we got unlucky one our way here. In the last week you¡¯ve been recovering I¡¯ve been on five expeditions. On three of them we encountered something of any level of danger. Some of those goblins decided to try their chances and we just smoked them with our guns. Keep in mind there were five of us and ten of them. Another time we encountered something we had to drive away from. We were at the pharmacy and we encountered a tree creature that attacked us. We knew our guns wouldn¡¯t be effective against a creature like it, and we had no other weapons. We fled from it. Currently we have the van, two police cars, and one additional vehicle. We saw a group of 30 something skeletons in the distance, they were walking around. It was very odd so we decided not to interact with them.¡± ¡°Interesting¡­ What level are all of you?¡± ¡°I only know my level and Jameson¡¯s level. I¡¯m level 11, and Jameson is level nine.¡± ¡°Ok. See you later¡± I walk away from him, but he asks me before I go, ¡°What level are you?¡± ¡°Seven.¡± He looks a bit surprised, but doesn¡¯t say anything as I walk away. I contemplate the pact with the Voidborn. It would be a boon, and a powerful one. I could be level ten, but have the statistics of a level 12. I have a question; what is the system? Ding Prompt detected. The system is a overlay over the world¡¯s intelligent inhabitants to assist their growth as well as their unseen potential. Why is the system here? How does it make us more powerful? Who put the system in place? Ding The system is in place to protect the existence of humanity. Your kind have potential within them that was sealed when your world was created. The system assists in harnessing the latent potential. The system was created. I¡­ Accept the pact. Ding Pact accepted. User granted Voidtouched class. User granted Chosen of The Void. What does chosen of the void do? Ding Chosen of The Void. Description: The void seeks a champion in this world. The void has no desires, and hence will imbue you with power while you live. You have been chosen for your courage, as well as your tactical mind. The void wants your mind. In life it empowers you. In death, you will serve the void as its general. You have much space to grow, and the void will see you growing into a leader, and conqueror. Then the defender of itself. Ding Achievement unlocked. The first chosen. Description: Other planes with incomprehensible powers exist. For their own reasons and morals, the other planes chose those other worlds to seek out their interests. You are the first to have been approached by a higher plane. Achievement: +1 to all stats, as well as some information. You also gain a level. Ding An administrator has taken notice of your achievement. They caution you to be careful of the other forces. Well, that might not be for the best. Is what it is, at least I¡¯ve gained strength. I crumble to the ground, my entire body shaking. The pain is unlike anything I¡¯ve ever experienced. Ding You have been corrupted by the void. End of chapter Chapter Six ; Depravity Chapter 6 I continue to feel the pain, and I am on my knees. I cough up a thick wad of blood. I feel my skin tingling, and my body loses the fight against the void. I continue to cough. After another fit of coughing I cough up a wad of black blood. I need this. I have to have this power. My mind changes a small amount, I can tell. But I do not care. My skin pales a little bit and I stand, unsteadily. Ding Your body rejected the void, but the void insisted. New trait gained: Voidforged. What does it do? Ding Voidforged: Your body has been enhanced by the power of the void. Your statistics have all increased by 5, but you feel that this will have unforeseen consequences in the future. Your body will continue to change, and the impact on your changing mind remains to be seen. I hear a hiss from behind me as I stand once again. I wobble on my feet, this new power is strange. I feel different, much more powerful, but I also feel very wrong. Like something invasive has changed me. I turn around slowly to see what is behind me. My cat, Fluffy. A small feeling enters my mind. Is it love? No. This is a different feeling. A new feeling. Indifference. My cat shrinks a little under my gaze. Am I really so unrecognizable? ¡°Fluffy? Here kitty kitty.¡± I feel the difference in my voice. It is the same, but overlapped with an unnatural shake. My voice feels odd. My cat looks a little bit more frightened, but I see a look in her eyes that makes me so very sad. She is scared of me. How could she be afraid of me? ¡°Fluffy?¡± She dashed into another room, away from me. I do not pursue her. I see someone I do not recognize enter the room. They gawk at me, then run. This person, I do pursue. The hunt is invigorating. I pick the person up and swallow them whole. I feel my entire body quake as something changes. My skin tinks black, my veins bulging. Something in me changes once again. Traits gained. Depravity, monstrosity, voidborn. Oh ho ho, now this will be fun. I flash forward. My mind is warping. Five years have passed, and I don¡¯t remember them. I continue to indulge my new talents. My new righteous pleasure. I bring the void to others, and bring them under my command. I¡¯m level 70 now, and only two have evaded me. Alexi and the sergeant. Walmart will soon fall. My army is not yet enough. I continue to think as I run after another candidate. He will become a soldier in my army, a commander. I will make him perfect. He will be my perfect soldier. My maw changes into a sharp grin. I caught up with him. My new form towers over him, pure shadows exude from me. He does not fear. ¡°NOW!¡± He yells, his overconfidence clear. I have no fear. I half expected something like this. I may not know his name, but I know the type of person he is. He is like me. He wants to better the world. He is misguided. From the surrounding forest many ranged weapons strike me. Bombs and explosives, magical blasts of fire. A salvo of bullets from a high caliber heavy machine gun. On top of all of it a net falls over me. I am not even slowed. I shrug all of the coming firepower. I pierce one of my long talons through him. I roar an inhuman roar. He has tried. That¡¯s more than many others. He has evaded me for long enough. I extend tendrils into him, and have my soldiers begin to hunt and turn the surrounding people. I do not need them. I scan him with my mental scenes, thinking about the holy changes that I will make to his flawed form. He will be mine. He will be- This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. My tendrils are cut apart by a sword as I am pushed back by another. ¡°You¡­¡± I say growling, ¡°You should have stayed dead.¡± The man in glowing white armor tries to push a sword into me. I caught it with one of my original limbs. My new form of darkness dissolves into me, forming into my dark armor. I must take him seriously. I gather the surrounding darkness, creating a dark void where it was. ¡°Jason. You don¡¯t have to do this,¡± He says to me. I smile at him, removing my helmet, then say, ¡°To the contrary Alexi. I will save this world from those like you. I will bring my darkness to all. They will become one with me, and we will save this world together. I will have you join me. One way or another.¡± He sees there and then I can not be reasoned with. That my darkness will fight his light. He raises his sword and says a word to his patron, and his sword is covered in light. He says something but I don¡¯t listen. My candidate runs. I pull on magic to form a blade of pure darkness. Soon my soldiers will complete their mission and join me. We meet and our blades clash. I pull together my mana and form a pure arrow and strike him, but while I do he forms shields around me to reduce my mobility. We fight. I frown. My soldiers are falling. I can reconstitute them later, but how are so many falling? I had a hundred thousand, but all of them in the surrounding miles are dying. Someone is destroying them. ¡°Jason, I am sorry this had to be done.¡± He pulls out a strange gray gemstone, and crushes it in the palm of his hand. All the mana in the surrounding miles is sucked into the point. My mana, his mana, and all the mana in the area explodes in a single concentrated point. It is clear that neither of us can survive a blast of this caliber. I pull some of the mana from the point into a shield to block any amount of the explosion. It is pointless, the explosion just blasts through the shield. A large crater is one of the last things I see as the world darkens around me. ¡°Jason?¡± I hear his voice. ¡°How are we still alive?¡± I ask him. I can¡¯t see, but I can still talk and hear him. ¡°Jason, we are both dying. I pulled our spirits out of our bodies. I want to talk before the end.¡± ¡°A pointless gesture, but shall indulge you.¡± I feel something strange that I haven¡¯t felt since I signed the pact. I feel sadness and pain, I feel regret. I feel empathy for all those I have killed over the years. ¡°Why did you do it all?¡± ¡°I killed them to save them. They were¡­ impure. The void must spread, it must save us all.¡± My voice is no longer genuine. I truly believed these words once, but my warped mind is beginning to return to the way it once was. Do I truly still believe this? Do I believe my own words? ¡°No. It wasn¡¯t you. Or was it? Is your true self a violent murderer? Are you really what everyone says you are? Maybe it is time to let you leave to oblivion. To join with the void.¡± ¡°My mind¡­ it changed. My true self may not believe, but I did truly believed those ideals once. The void gave everything I wanted. A way to gain power. I took it to an extreme, and it warped my mind. I regret all of it. I would change it if I could. I would go back. But it is time. I have gone too far, and we must end. For the safety of this world, and others.¡± ¡°Would you have reached this level of power without the void? Would you have gained this power without the slaughter? It¡¯s an odd question, I know. The light granted me my power, I gained power from saving others.¡± ¡°No. I would have taken decades to become this powerful otherwise. You would not have either. What fools we are. Would you have become the chosen of the light if I did not become this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It seems our time is at an end Jason. I am grateful I could talk to you. I wish we could have done everything differently.¡± End of chapter